1. < Joint Replacements

allergic reaction to bone cement

Posted by denver @denver, Apr 1, 2019

After 1 1/2 years of pain, swelling getting worse, I was tested for allergies. I will have to have another TKR custom without the bone cement. I am devastated at no one checking for allergies as I have numerous strange food allergies. I am told I may have to wait up to 10 mos for the revision as the FDA only approves a small number of these revisions per surgeons annually. This is because it's not a money maker for the hospitals, so it's limited. Another disappointment as now the hardware is coming loose from the bones and is unstable/more painful. Please pass on my bad experience so others don't suffer. Surgeons should be asking about allergies in this era of more and more people allergic to foods/environmental substances.

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martydav | @martydav | Nov 11, 2020
In reply to @irish283 "Hello,Amanda, the last doctor I saw said the other option was to do the revision without..." + (show)
@irish283

Hello,Amanda, the last doctor I saw said the other option was to do the revision without cement. I didn’t get into specifics because I was still in shock. I will eventually ask that surgeon about the press fit, but I need to have my rotator cuff repaired. I tore it trying to push myself up out of chairs. So need to do that first! But this is helpful “talking to others” who are going through the same issue.

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I had a reverse shoulder replacement and have been in therapy for two months . I have severe pain over my bicep , especially at night. It feels like a large belt around my arm squeezing me to death . The pain wakes me up at night.
It feels like therapy is not doing anything but making the pain worse. Should I think about being allergic to cement?

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2 replies
ardis3 | @ardis3 | Nov 11, 2020
In reply to @irish283 "Hello, this is Irish283. My pain was most Of time on the outer right side of..." + (show)
@irish283

Hello, this is Irish283. My pain was most Of time on the outer right side of rt. Knee by joint I had pain, swelling it felt hot to touch.
At about one month after surgery I was taken by ambulance to ER. The pain came on very suddenly and the severity was about 20 on a scale of 1-10! They checked for infection, loose prosthetic,. They didn’t find anything. This keeps me up at night. I usually wake up from pain always on the outer right side and sometimes it is also on the back of knee. I put ice pack on it and it helps.
I’m grateful knowing that it’s not in my head.....I have never been allergic to ANYTHING,
When I went to the allergist they tested me for metals, cements and other things that I don’t remember what ....I also had a reaction to neomycin, which is an antibiotic. I don’t know what to do, this stuff is dangerous. If it breaks down due to my body rejecting this it could get into my blood and then I could possibly have an embolism, which could kill me, or my heart could be affected.
They need to manufacture another type of cement without this methyl methacrylate. I between a rock and a hard place!
Go get tested!

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Thank your for your reply. Has your surgeon given you any ideas what can be done. Revision? Please keep me posted with your progress.

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1 reply
martydav | @martydav | Nov 12, 2020
In reply to @ardis3 "Thank your for your reply. Has your surgeon given you any ideas what can be done...." + (show)
@ardis3

Thank your for your reply. Has your surgeon given you any ideas what can be done. Revision? Please keep me posted with your progress.

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See surgeon on the 18th this month.

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1 reply
ardis3 | @ardis3 | Nov 12, 2020
In reply to @martydav "See surgeon on the 18th this month." + (show)
@martydav

See surgeon on the 18th this month.

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Have seen him yet. Will keep you posted.

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1 reply
denver | @denver | Nov 12, 2020
In reply to @ardis3 "Had TKR in January and Manual Manipulation in March. Always had pain since surgery. Pain getting..." + (show)
@ardis3

Had TKR in January and Manual Manipulation in March. Always had pain since surgery. Pain getting worse on outside of knee. Where was your pain located. Wondering if I’m allergic also. My surgeon retired and the surgeon who took over ignored my pain concerns and said “stop think about your knee all the time and just live with it”.

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Hi Ardis, see if you can get in with Dr Mark Tuttle at PSL in Denver. Get tested first- it's quick and will give you more information. I'm so sorry you are having a bad outcome. I am doing great now after getting a revision with Dr. Tuttle. I am allergic to the bone cement used in the first TKR>

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ardis3 | @ardis3 | Nov 12, 2020

Thank you. I live near Boston, Ma . May contact your doctor to see if he can recommend a surgeon who does more then average revisions.

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1 reply
ardis3 | @ardis3 | Nov 12, 2020
In reply to @ardis3 "Thank you. I live near Boston, Ma . May contact your doctor to see if he..." + (show)
@ardis3

Thank you. I live near Boston, Ma . May contact your doctor to see if he can recommend a surgeon who does more then average revisions.

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Not easy finding a really good revision surgeon.

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1 reply
Mentor
Chris Trout, Volunteer Mentor | @artscaping | Nov 13, 2020
In reply to @martydav "I had a reverse shoulder replacement and have been in therapy for two months . I..." + (show)
@martydav

I had a reverse shoulder replacement and have been in therapy for two months . I have severe pain over my bicep , especially at night. It feels like a large belt around my arm squeezing me to death . The pain wakes me up at night.
It feels like therapy is not doing anything but making the pain worse. Should I think about being allergic to cement?

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@martydav, Good evening, I thought maybe I just might be able to understand what is going on with your shoulder and the cement. I had a reverse shoulder replacement and have had no problems so it makes me wonder if I have cement or do not have cement. I am attaching a link to a study that was completed with some results that may help you with your decision on a revision.
https://online.boneandjoint.org.uk/doi/abs/10.1302/1358-992X.95BSUPP_34.ISTA2013-482
The pain in your bicep is also discouraging, to say the least. Is there any chance that you have been too aggressive with weight lifting or another PT exercise? What has your PT said about this pain? I have had this kind of pain on occasion and it was usually because I slept on it wrong or I used too much weight when doing the curls. I felt so cocky that I doubled the weight way too soon.

I, too have had a rotator cuff repair on the other shoulder from falling down the stairs. Good thing I didn't create a nightmare on the reverse replacement...the surgeon told me not to fall because he couldn't fix me.

I am sure that you and your PT have discussed and worked on the Fascia in that area. My biceps on both arms seem to suffer from restrictions and the entire area tightens up. Just today I had to have my MFR therapist work on my wrists because they too had become tight and sore. It is such a relief when they release. In case it would be helpful......here is a link to the information about Myofascial Release Therapy.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
Let me know what else might be helpful for you.

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering,
Chris

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irish283 | @irish283 | Nov 13, 2020
In reply to @martydav "I had a reverse shoulder replacement and have been in therapy for two months . I..." + (show)
@martydav

I had a reverse shoulder replacement and have been in therapy for two months . I have severe pain over my bicep , especially at night. It feels like a large belt around my arm squeezing me to death . The pain wakes me up at night.
It feels like therapy is not doing anything but making the pain worse. Should I think about being allergic to cement?

Jump to this post

It can only help to have allergy testing. This way you have an answer as to why you’re not improving. And the doctors need to know about it. Plus they know you know about being allergic a nd they can’t blow you off re not responding to therapy. You have to be your own advocate.

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1 reply
martydav | @martydav | Nov 13, 2020
In reply to @irish283 "It can only help to have allergy testing. This way you have an answer as to..." + (show)
@irish283

It can only help to have allergy testing. This way you have an answer as to why you’re not improving. And the doctors need to know about it. Plus they know you know about being allergic a nd they can’t blow you off re not responding to therapy. You have to be your own advocate.

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Will get tested.

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